City National Bank
Social and collaborative areas alongside open workstations establish choice and control across 22 floors
Understanding what drives the need for change
City National Bank had built a reputation as a premier financial services provider, but their Los Angeles headquarters told a different story. Across eleven floors, employees worked in isolation behind high-paneled workstations and closed office doors, with virtually no spaces designed for collaboration or innovation. For a bank serving clients who needed dynamic financial solutions, this rigid environment was becoming a barrier to the kind of teamwork and creativity that modern banking demands.
The leadership team recognized that their physical workspace was out of sync with their company culture and client service philosophy. They needed to transform 300,000 square feet of traditional corporate space into an environment that would foster collaboration, attract top talent, and reflect their position as a forward-thinking financial institution. The challenge wasn't just about updating furniture—it was about fundamentally reimagining how their teams would work together to serve clients better.
How we brought the vision to life
Tangram partnered with Gensler to orchestrate a complete workspace transformation that would balance the bank's need for both collaboration and focused work. Rather than simply replacing old furniture with new pieces, we took a holistic approach to understanding how different teams functioned and what environments would best support their success. Our design centered around creating beautiful open floor plans that encouraged interaction while still providing spaces for confidential client conversations and concentrated work.
The centerpiece of our solution was a customized Steelcase Answer workstation system that we tailored specifically to meet the bank's unique operational needs. These workstations proved so successful in balancing privacy, collaboration, and functionality that Steelcase incorporated our design innovations into their standard product offerings. We complemented the open areas with Steelcase Elective Elements for the remaining private offices and carefully curated ancillary furniture collections throughout 22 floors, creating comfortable lounge and collaboration areas that naturally connected different departments and encouraged cross-team interaction.
5 professionals brought this vision to life
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